Leopold and Loeb
by Nubes
Summary: Willa Cather:Where there is great love, there are always wishes!Story:The great love they proved us all,but the wishes are still unaccomplished.Set after Bon Voyage.JJ.
1. Bon Voyage

**Hello everybody!**

**I think it´s time for a new story. I can´t help it - I´m addicted to GG.**

**I write this story especially for all my JJs on and for all the people who wanna join our craziness.**

**Thanks to CW or/and certain people we don´t get what we deserve - an 8th season. So I thought I should write about it.**

**I´m not quite sure if I should leave this story as an one-shot or if I should make it a real 8th season...I´ve got a lot of ideas,that´s for sure.**

**The biggest hug to ****Katie****!Your ideas were great and I took them all.We´re a great team ;)!**

_**So I don´t own anything - of course. **__**Verses from 7.22.**_

**Enjoy!

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**Leopold and Loeb**

"Thank you."

"Ah, it is no big deal," he responded, hoping to downplay all the work he really put into the party. It really didn't bother him so much. He did it because he wanted to do it.

Lorelai shook her head in a mixture of both disbelief and awe.

"Luke." It was more a hoarse whisper than a statement.

Luke sighed and his voice matched Lorelai's as he revealed his true reasoning: "I just like  
to see you happy."

He smiled slightly and Lorelai's eyes were locked on Luke´s. Just a single moment passed before they closed the gap between them and started to kiss. They held onto each other with all their strength as if to make sure they didn't lose each other ever again. It felt like coming home again and neither wanted to lose that feeling. The kiss became more heated but as the need for air eventually increased, and after several passionate, exhilarating moments, they pulled apart – panting for air.

"Wow," Lorelai said softly, looking down, trying to recover her thoughts after the kiss. She didn't plan on kissing Luke. She just wanted to thank him, tell him how much that all meant to her. Maybe she did walk up to him wanting to kiss him, put she certainly didn't anticipate the rush of emotions his two simple statements would make.

"Yeah." Luke was still as paralysed as Lorelai. He was still reeling from this kiss - their first kiss in so long. He never thought he'd experience it again.

She looked back up at him, trying to form any rational thought. "Now I'm happy," Lorelai said with a smile.

"Good." _Mr. Monosyllabic_, _Congratulations on that miracle of answer._

Lorelai leaned in for another kiss. This one was slower and more sensitive.

"God, I've missed that," Lorelai said, leaning her forehead against Luke´s after they separated.

"You have no idea," Luke responded, smiling comfortably. "Wanna come in for a coffee? I'm sure they can party without us for a minute."

"Sure. Coffee without a speech about health and my early death? I'll take it." Lorelai smiled with a wink and took Luke´s hand as they went into the diner.

Lorelai sat down at the counter, nervously playing with her sleeves and Luke mechanically prepared the coffee. They were both silent, stuck in their own thoughts about this sudden, unexpected turn of events. They both were happy, but they had never let themselves dream that this moment would come again for them and were unsure about what to say next.

"I've got something for ya," Luke said, disturbing the silence, as he remembered the necklace in his trouser pocket.

"Oh?" Lorelai questioned, confused.

Luke chuckled and pulled the small box out.

He watched her eyes light up at the sight of the package. "A present?" Lorelai asked, clapping her hands in excitement.

"Something like that."

He opened the box and showed her the necklace. Lorelai gasped and put a hand to her chest.

"Liz made it. When I saw it, it reminded me of you." Luke was a little uneasy and unsure about if it was appropriate yet, and what Lorelai would think of it.

She took a deep breath, somewhat overcome by his gesture. "It´s beautiful, Luke."

Luke took the necklace out of the box and went around the counter to put it around Lorelai´s neck and she lifted up her hair to allow him to do so. His hands on her skin sent little sparks down her body and Lorelai shut her eyes for a second, taking in the sensation.

"There you go," Luke said. He let his fingers linger on Lorelai's neck for a second before he put his hands over hers and lowered them down from her hair. Then, he returned behind the counter to fill a coffee cup for her.

She put her hand over the necklace and went to the window between the diner and the Soda Shoppe to admire the jewelery in her reflection.

"It´s beautiful." She repeated her earlier statement, still at a loss for words.

Luke stared at her, adoringly. His attention was no longer on the coffee pot, but instead, solely on her. "I´m glad you like it."

"I love it." Lorelai´s smile grew even wider and a tear almost escaped her eyes. She couldn't be happier right now. Her eyes drifted back to the party outside and Rory came into her mind. Her smile faded a little, and she reminded herself of what tonight meant for her and her daughter.

She slowly returned to her stool on the counter and sighed.

"Quite an evening today."

Luke had followed her gaze earlier, and detected the changed stance when she looked outside. "Yea it is. Good-byes are always hard," Luke admitted as he watched the goings-on in the town square.

"I´m gonna miss her so much," Lorelai said, while she played with the coffee cup Luke had placed in front of her.

Luke walked around the counter and sat down next to her. "Me too," he said, placing a comforting hand on Lorelai's thigh.

"I'm losing my daughter," Lorelai said, her voice cracking.

"You're not losing her," Luke tried. "But I know what you mean, I felt it with April leaving, and you and Rory are so much closer, it has to be killing you. And Rory's been like a daughter to me. I mean, for all these years I've loved her like a daughter. It sounds crazy, bu-"

"It´s not crazy. Not at all. I already knew that, though. You've been great with her. She loves you, I know that."

"She´ll come back. We won´t lose her. Okay?" Luke said trying to offer Lorelai the supportive words she needed.

"I hope so. I already miss her now and she's just right across that square. It hurts to let go."

"Yea," Luke agreed, sincerely. He understood how much it was hurting her to say good-bye. "Maybe we should go back to the party and Rory."

Lorelai nodded and stood up. "Thanks, Luke."

He stood up and faced her. "You already thanked me and I already told you it was no big deal."

"Not only for the party. For everything – everything you've done, for Rory and me."

Luke smiled and embraced Lorelai.

"I was glad to do it." He tenderly kissed the top of her head. "What about having an early breakfast in the diner before Rory takes off tomorrow?" Luke asked tentatively, not knowing if he'd be interrupting any mother-daughter good-bye ceremony.

"You would do that?" Lorelai looked up smiling and when he nodded she gave him a gentle peck on the lips.

"Let´s go and have some fun."

They both left the diner with joined hands, enjoying their first time together in over a year.

* * *

"Coffee smells good," Rory said, enjoying her last cup of coffee from Luke´s for an indeterminable period of time.

"Hello, old friend."

"How is it?" Luke asked.

"Your first pot is always your best," Lorelai said, taking a sip from her cup.

"That´s good," Luke continued with the type of talk in progress.

"Thanks for opening up the place," Rory stated with a smile in Luke´s direction.

"I gotta take care of my best customers," Luke answered with a smile. "So, you guys know what you want?"

"Oh, hmm, I have no idea."

"Looks like a delightful menu."

"Oh, it does look delightful, charming."

"Very charming, adorable fonts."

"Wish there were pictures."

"Hmm." Luke just nodded, enjoying the girls´ banter and teasing.

"You know, I'm gonna need a minute. I can't decide." Lorelai flashed Luke a big smile. Her eyes were shining, and she was radiating happiness.

Luke returned Lorelai´s smile and responded softly, "Take all the time you need."

"But could we get some eggs? And bacon and hash browns to tide us over!" Lorelai smiled

"Coming up." Luke had missed the diner banter and teasing so much over the last year that he couldn't do anything beside smile.

"And pancakes?" Lorelai pushed, continuing to giggle.

"Hey, I like your necklace," Rory noticed.

"Oh, you do?" Lorelai turned her head to the kitchen, smiling once again over Luke's gift.

"It suits you."

"As perfect as the man who gave it to me," Lorelai marvelled.

"Now, that wasn't cheesy at all," Rory teased, with a wink at her mother, happy that her mother and Luke were back together.

"Hot plates." Luke arrived some minutes later with two plates in front of the Gilmore´s table.

"See he calls-"

"Forget it, Lorelai" Luke dead panned, but gave Lorelai a knowing smile.

"You're no fun," Lorelai pouted.

"That´s me. Enjoy your meal." Luke was about to go away but Lorelai grabbed him by his arm.

"You want to sit with us?" Lorelai asked, giving Luke her hard to resist, puppy-dog eyes.

Luke was obviously hesitant. "Really? I don´t want to disturb your mother-daughter bonding, whatsoever."

"It´s perfectly fine," Rory assured.

"Okay." Luke smiled. "I gonna get me healthy breakfast."

The three of them sat at the table, eating breakfast and drinking coffee (herbal tea for Luke), and they talked about all the world and his brother.

When Rory and Luke diverted into discussing the availability of certain types of coffee and coffee shops in the different states Rory was going to visit, Lorelai became teary and she smiled.

"What´s wrong, Mom?" Rory asked.

"Nothing. It´s just like a little family."

The three of them looked at each other in silence, smiling and nodding.

"It is," Luke said.

* * *

**So one-shot or not?Bad, good or in between?Tell me and I promise I don´t bite ;).**

**Hugs to my JJs from the JJ thread.You rock!**


	2. Forgiveness and stuff

**Hello people.**

**It´s me again!Yeah, I know, long time no see but I have a good excuse. First my beta´s internet was down and then she was out of town. So please don´t be mad...or smad.**

**Thanks for all the kind reviews!You guys rock!**

**I´t´s my longest chapter ever and I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Luke was busy wiping the counter of his packed diner. He wanted to keep himself from thinking about Lorelai and last chance at a happy future they were beginning.

His thoughts wandered to Rory's departure, instead. It make him sick just reflecting on it. Their goodbye that morning after they ate breakfast together - as a family, how Lorelai described it – was very emotional. Well, Rory and Lorelai shared some tears, and Luke tried to be strong for them, offering a comforting shoulder but he almost didn't succeed, getting rather choked up, himselfHe had watched Rory grow up and couldn't wrap his mind around how fast she had developed into the amazing woman he was seeing off.

"_Take care, Rory.__"_

"_I will, Luke. Don´t forget me,__"__ Rory attempted a joke, but failed as a soft sob escaped her mouth._

"_Never,__"__ Luke whispered and gave Rory a warm hug._

"_Keep an eye on Mom. You know deep down she's still ten years old.__"__ Rory smiled at Luke who just nodded, knowingly._

_Lorelai watched the whole interaction in silence. She felt so many conflicting feelings. One side of her was broken and sad because her angel, her only child, was leaving for good. Another part of her was happy and hopeful because Lorelai knew she wouldn´t be alone. She´d have Luke and a future with him. Joy and harm often adjoin__…_

The bells above the diner's door rang and Luke knew without looking up that Lorelai had entered his establishment. She plopped on a stool at the counter and put her purse next to her. It was obvious to him that she had been crying for quite some time. Luke walked over to where she was sitting, and poured a cup of coffee and put it in front of her.

"How are you?" he asked, even though it was clear to him that she wasn't doing so swell.

"Could be better." After a pause she went on. "Rory´s safe on the plane," she explained, looking at him with red eyes, but still attempting a smile. She took a sip of her coffee and let out a little sigh.

Luke wanted to comfort her by taking her in his arms and kissing her, but he didn´t want Patty and Babette to discuss the reconciliation right now. So he decided to comfort her the second best way he knew how to.

"You want some pancakes with extra chocolate and maybe even side of chocolate?" Luke asked, and put a hand on hers.

She looked up and a small smile appeared on her face. She shook her head slightly, "No, I have to get going to the Inn. But thanks."

"Don´t you want to take the day off and, I don't know, watch a movie or something?"

"The work distracts me. I don't want to be reminded of Rory while watching a movie alone, you know?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I'm wiping the counter and the tables like crazy since you two left to keep me from thinking about it."

"Hence the shiny and sparkly surface?" Lorelai joked and Luke could still see through her humor. He decided that she needed a huge lift-me-up.

"Do you want to do something tonight?"

Lorelai's smile remained and she put her second hand over their joined hands. "I´d love to. You want to come over? Bring some food and then we can watch a movie or talk or just sit and, um, hang?"

Luke had to chuckle at her word choice. "What do think of a real dinner. I could come over and cook something you'd like."

"Will it involve chocolate?" Lorelai joked and Luke recognized a little spark in her dark and sad eyes. "Dinner would be great. Seriously, what will you cook?"

"That's a surprise."

"I love surprises," Lorelai said, excitedly. "6ish at my house?"

"I'll be the one with the spatula." He smiled at her.

"Okay I gotta go. I'll see you later." Lorelai hopped off her stool and before Luke could react in any way, she had planted a kiss on his mouth. She held the contact several seconds before she broke the kiss.

"Bye."

"Bye, Lorelai and chin up," Luke said with a wink before she left the diner.

* * *

The rest of the day went by rather fast. Lorelai was preoccupied with checking in new guests, dealing with Michel's annoying "I can't talk to these people today, they are even more unkempt and rude than normal," and calling the vet because Cletus was sick.

Sookie tried to be supportive and consolatory but her constant "Rory's gonna be fine," was more depressing than it was helpful. She didn't want to think about Rory, at least not for that day and by avoiding the kitchen besides when getting coffee, she managed to do so.

Around 5.30 Lorelai became flustered, but flustered in a good and exciting way. She was going to have a date with Luke again after all this time.

As soon as the realization hit her, she said goodbye to her staff and headed home. Upon entering her house, she threw her purse on the couch and ran upstairs, two steps at a time. She managed to scatter most of her wardrobe across her bed within minutes. She needed to find the perfect outfit for tonight. Nothing too dressy, nothing too cheerful, but it still had to look wonderful on her. She finally decided on wearing her new jeans and a white shirt with a cascade neck line.

After putting the clothes on, she touched up her make-up. She had been up since the very early morning today, and even though Luke had seen her all messed up from crying hours before, she spent extra time covering up the dark circles the emotional day had caused. Her hair fell in loose curls and she was still wearing her new necklace from Luke, which complimented her shirt and eyes.

At six sharp Lorelai heard a knock on her door.

"I´m coming," she yelled down the stairs. With a big smile on her face she opened the door. There he was, Luke, sans blue hat and flannel, clad in a black sweater and dark jeans, holding a Doose´s bag.

"Hey there," Lorelai said, caught up in admiring him.

"'Hey back. You look beautiful." Luke was as amazed as Lorelai. The vibe of a first date was somewhat hanging in the air, and Lorelai was shocked to be feeling this way around Luke for a third time.

"You don't look too bad yourself either," she replied. Another second of starring and open-mouthed-standing passed before either of them said something again.

Lorelai was the first to break the silence: "Uhm -- come in."

Luke entered the house and headed straight to the kitchen and put the bag onto the counter.

"I'm glad you still remember the way to the kitchen," Lorelai quipped as she followed Luke and he smiled in response.

"It's just intuitive." Again silence.

Lorelai jumped up to sit on the counter and tried to catch a glimpse into the bag, but Luke grabbed it and placed it on top of the table, so he could empty it. She pouted for a moment then shook her head at him. "So, what are you cooking for me?" she inquired.

"Nothing fancy. Stuffed mushroom caps as starters, lasagne as main dish and, after that, your favourite part of a dinner – dessert, it's tiramisu" he explained and he pulled the items out. Lorelai hopped down and walked over to him.

"The perfect dinner." Lorelai smiled at him and stroked his arm.

"Thought so. I better start with it now."

"I´ll drink to that." Lorelai reached for the red wine bottle and poured herself a glass and sat down at the table. Luke began cooking and Lorelai observed him. She'd always loved to watch him cook, first at the diner, then at her home or his apartment. She loved having him back here, cooking for her in her kitchen.

"So how are you?" Luke asked, looking over his shoulder at her for a moment before turning back at the food on the stove top.

"I'm okay. Okay-ish, I guess," she confessed, tilting her head to the side to meet his eyes for a second when he was turned half way around again.

He could see that she was being honest with him and he was glad that she wasn't trying to pretend she was fine. He looked back at the food. "Rory called yet?"

"Yes. Right when the plane landed and then once she got settled a bit. She said she's fine and the staff is very nice, but she already misses Mommy and the town."

"Well, who wouldn´t miss this town?" Luke said, his voice filled with sarcasm.

"Ah, come on. You love this town with all its glory," Lorelai mocked and smiled.

"Yea sure."

"I still detect some sarcasm there." She giggled.

Luke just shook his head smiling, then turned all the way around and locked his gaze with her eyes. "I´d miss you," he said in a serious, confident voice.

Lorelai took a deep breath and gave him a huge smile. "Right back at you."

With beaming faces, Luke returned to his pans, and Lorelai played with her glass. Luke came to join her and got himself a glass of wine shortly afterwards. They sat in comfortable silence when the food was cooking in the oven, sometimes chatting about some crazy townsperson or telling a story about their daughters from the last few months.

"The mushroom caps were delicious, the lasagne was even more delicious, if that's possible, but the Tiramisu – oh my god! You´re the best non-Italian Tiramisu-maker ever. I wanna take a bath in it!" Lorelai exclaimed while taking a spoon full of her dessert.

"I´m glad you like it," Luke said with a smile, taking a bite of the dessert.

"I should marry you because of it," Lorelai said but as soon as the words left her mouth she regretted it.

Luke looked at Lorelai with a deer-in-the-headlight-expression and he swallowed hard. They stared at each other, their eyes both wide, and their minds racing over what she had just brought up. Lorelai opened her mouth slightly, but then closed it, not knowing what to even say at the moment. After a little longer of the awkward silence, she finally let out a small, "Luke."

He looked down, he couldn't, not right now. Luke decided to ignore the slip-up. "I should wash the dishes." Luke stood up, gathering up all the dishes and heading to the sink.

"No, you don´t have to," Lorelai said quickly, shaking off the moment they'd just had. "You cooked, I´ll wash the dishes." she offered, and pushed herself up from her chair and joined Luke at the sink.

"Okay, if you want to. I´ll dry," he said, nodding.

They stood next to each other at the sink, often rubbing against each other at the shoulders. Every time, the contact sent a mixed variety of emotions through them: happiness, fear, desire, determination, and they were both relatively quiet, lost in their own thoughts. The situation wasn´t new per se, they'd often cleaned up after meals together like this, but on this night, it was very new to them. One year apart is a long time. So much had changed; Lorelai got married, then divorced, Luke received partial custody over April. They knew they have to handle their third try differently. They knew they have to talk.

"Could we, uhm, talk?" Lorelai asked tentatively, handing Luke the last dish.

"Yeah, we should," he said surely, wipping off the plate and putting it away, then looking back at Lorelai.

"Now?"

"Now."

"Living room?"

"Living room."

They headed for the couch, and once they sat down, Lorelai stared at the television, the dollhouse, the stairs, whatever she could to avoid Luke's glance, and postpone the inevitably emotional conversation they were about to have for just a second longer.

Luke gave her some time, and then spoke up. "So, we should….talk," Luke said, taking a deep breath, and Lorelai looked at him, finally, smiling briefly.

"Where do we start?" Lorelai asked softly, fidgeting with her hands. Luke put his hands on hers to keep them still. He dipped his head a bit to meet her eyes.

"We have to do this," he told her. She nodded in agreement, knowing full well that this needed to be done.

"So, again, where do we start?"

Luke shook his head for a moment, thinking about what was still the most important question he had."Why did you have to sleep with him?" he asked sincerely, but he was surprised by his own bluntness.

"Why did you shut me out?" she asked sadly.

"Why did you marry_ him_?" he said, his voice rising.

"Why didn't you want to marry _me_?" She spoke a bit more bitterly now.

"Why didn't you talk to me before you walked away?"

"Not fair, you have more 'why's," Lorelai joked, but she regained her serious composure very fast, upon seeing the look on Luke´s face.

"I´m sorry," she apologized, her face becoming a little flushed.

"Me too." Luke wanted this to not totally deflate both of them, especially Lorelai. He didn't want to make her cry after seeing her so upset about Rory earlier. "Okay," Luke said, swallowing. "Maybe that wasn't the best place to start. Why don't we try this again? From the beginning?" Luke suggested, as he resettled more into the couch, making sure he was still holding her hand.

"Okay," Lorelai agreed.

"The day you asked me to marry you, I was the happiest person in the world," he started. "Marrying you was a wish I had since the start of our relationship." Lorelai smiled at Luke and his honesty, feeling her heart pounding a little more. "But then April showed up," he continued.

Lorelai swallowed and looked at her hands which Luke sqeezed to give her a silent _Sorry_ and to make sure she stayed focused as he went on. "First I was shocked and confused, naturally. I wanted to talk to you, but Rory had just come back and you were so happy. You were sad about her for so long, and finally you were happy again: happy to have her back and happy to set a wedding date. I didn't want to destroy that, so I waited to tell you later." He heard Lorelai let out an incredulous huff. "I did try to tell you, Lorelai, I wasn't actively trying to hide it from you. You announced that we were going to get married on June 3rd. I have to admit that I was frightened out of my mind. It felt so soon, and with getting to know April at that point, I thought I couldn´t concentrate on both: you and April."

"But-"

"Please, let me finish, first. My last attempt to tell you was the day you came down in your wedding dress. It was perfect and you were so beautiful, and I couldn't ruin yourhappiness. Again. I chose to go through the whole parent thing alone. Maybe I was too sure that I'd have you in my life forever that I concentrated my attention on April. I had to make up for twelve years. I didn´t know how to handle a kid, especially not a 12-yeard old. I just wanted to get to know April, alone. I was selfish and dumb but that´s what I thought would be right. Now that I talk about it makes it sound even dumber. I thought that if I introduced you, she would fall for you instantly and she´d lost interest in me." Lorelai was watching him closely, and he looked down again, shaking his head before going on. "God, that´s stupid. You are a crazy but lovely woman and I knew she´d love that. That´s why I kept you both apart. At least at first." Luke looked straight into Lorelai´s eyes, then, and he could see the pain and sadness in them as she struggled to keep from crying. It hurt him to see her that way and knowing that he caused it. He took a deep breath and continued.

"Later when I thought I had the whole April thing pretty well covered – covered as in I could talk to her without feeling like a complete idiot - I still didn´t introduce you two properly. At that point I didn´t know why but after we …separated, I understood. I was scared, frightened. I knew that we'd get married soon and I wanted that, I did. I thought I wasn't ready, though, I still wasn't ready to completely handle both parts of my life. That´s another ´dumb on my list, but that´s what I felt. I chickened out, and I just kept holding things off with you. I didn´t know how upset you were. I was oblivious to it. And then you came to the diner and said you wanted to elope. It went all so fast. You yelling, me yelling and I couldn´t process what this was all about. And then you ran away, and well," Luke finished with a sigh. He was exhausted. But somehow he felt a little relieved. They stared at each other again, both hurt and sad. Lorelai´s eyes were watery and a single tear rolled down her cheek. Luke wiped it away with his right thumb and Lorelai leaned her head into his hand.

"I´m sorry." Luke said and with his left hand he gave her right hand another little squeeze.

Lorelai took a deep breath, nodding slightly. Once she removed her head from Luke's hand, she gave him a weak smile. "My turn, I guess." Lorelai sniffed and tried to get her breathing under control, preparing for her _speech_.

"I was confused when I noticed you being more absent and even more grumpier than usual. I thought you'd be even more happy because Rory was back, but you weren't, and it just got worse. You wouldn't talk to me the way you used to, and you were distant. When I found out about April my world just crashed down on me. It wasn't so much the fact that you have a daughter, but rather the fact that you didn´t tell me. That killed me. It hurt like hell. But I still thought you would include me now after I found out. I thought, maybe you really were just scared about how to tell me but that things would get better and I'd be able to be involved with you and April. Again, though, I was disappointed and felt like I was losing everything. Everything I believed in and was so sure of was just disappearing. How could the man I love and I am going to marry shut me out that way?" She saw Luke duck his head down, obviously regretful and ashamed, but she went on. "I didn´t know why you were how you were, and I especially didn't know why I was silent about it. Lorelai 'I-never-stop-talking-and-complaining-until-I-get-what-I-want' Gilmore was silent and afraid to talk to her fiancé. I'd always been able to tell you everything, I´m still freaked out about myself, about how I was so scared to lose you that I stopped being myself. It all just spiraled downward, you not letting me meet April, Anna disapproving, you doing nothing about it, until I just couldn't take it anymore. I knew I had lost you. And the night I came to the diner to ask you to elope with me, I was desperate and so scared to lose you, but if I didn't ask you that night, I would have gone crazy watching us fall apart even more. I guess I was right, I lost you, not because you didn´t want to elope that night but because I made a mistake. I don´t know why I went to Christopher that night, but I think it was because he was always a person, a friend I had in the back of my head for my whole life." It was now Luke´s turn to look at his hands, trying not to flinch at the mention of Christopher´s name. Just like Luke before, Lorelai took his hand and stroked it.

"It's not like he was someone I always wanted to be with, but I always knew he'd take me back in a heartbeat. I knew he wouldn't reject me, and that's what I needed that night. It was awful and I should have found some other way, but, I didn't, and what's done is done.You showing up the next morning was one of the most painful moments in my life. It was horrible to see you being ready and all and me telling you those terrible few words. My heart broke into so many pieces, as I watched yours do the same. And I am so sorry. I think at that time we were both hurting so much. I was never that sad in my entire life. You left and I knew I had lost you forever, I never thought that I'd ever be where am I now, with you, again." She gave him a weak smile. "And then there was Chris…."

Luke shook his head trying to shove the pain in his heart away. Lorelai looked away from him, unable to look at him, knowing what she was about to say.

"He was always some kind of backup guy. There were so many times when I wanted nothing more than for him to grow up and be with Rory and me, and I'd always had him pushed on me as the one I was supposed to be with, by my parents, by him. I was sure I had lost you and he was, well, he was there with me, and he told me that he loved me and that we belonged together. I had wanted to hear that for so long. And I jumped. I jumped because I thought that this might be my only shot at that whole package. The family with a dog and a white fence. His daughter, Gigi, was around a lot, and he wanted me to be involved with her. He was around Rory more than ever, and my parents were happy, and it fell into place. We got married in Paris. I can't believe I gave in there, I can't believe I was that desperate to get married that I'd do it without Rory there, it just shows how I still wasn't myself. I knew he wasn´t you but I had to accept it. And I was happy, but I wasn´t truly happy on the inside. After he read my letter for your custody battle, he knew that I still loved you and that he was just my second choice. I denied it to him, half-heartedly, but he could see right through me. When you showed up at the hospital I couldn't believe it, that after everything, you were there for me, and he wasn't. I wanted to just hug you that day for doing everything that you did, but I knew I couldn´t." Her eyes met his again as she approached happier subjects. "You said I belong with someone like Christopher and I believed you just wanted to be friends. But after the dog´s funeral I knew you´re the only one I'm in love with and that I will always love. That´s what the song said. It did mean something, the song." She tilted her head to the side, giving him a small, momentary smirk.

Luke looked at her with a tiny smile in the corner of his mouth.

"I am glad it did, but I knew that," he stated simply. "What dog?" he wondered.

"Michel´s."

"Ah." Luke looked a little confused, but he accepted the fact that he probably wouldn't get the full story on that, and that he probably doesn't want to know it.

"And then I came into the diner, and it was--"

"Awkward?" he supplied.

"Yeah, but it was good, too. Then you took me car shopping, and you saved the Jeep, and you put the blue hat on again, and you organized Rory´s party. That was all I needed to know. Well, the rest is obvious."

"Yes, it is. We both made some serious mistakes, didn´t we?" Luke almost whispered.

"Yeah we did. I´m sorry."

"I´m sorry, too."

They both stared at each other and then at their hands joined.

"I don´t ever want to lose you again, I can't," she confessed.

"Same here," he said in such a sincere tone that it made her chest fill with emotion. She leaned towards him, and hugged him tightly, burying her head into his chest. His arms wrapped around her body, and he held her, rubbing her back. They stayed there, savoring the feeling the indescribable feeling of being so close again. After some time, Luke pulled away slightly, so he could look directly at her.

"You want to go on the boat trip with me?" Luke asked out of the blue, and smiled at Lorelai´s confused look.

"What about April?"

"She has that science camp coming up and cancelled."

"Ah right, I forgot." Lorelai smiled sympathetically at him.

"So, you wanna come?"

"I definitely need some vacation and I want to see your new boat. And time together, alone, could be amazing."

Luke smiled and stroked Lorelai´s cheek.

"So it´s a done deal."

"It is."

Their mouths slowly approached each other's and they shared a tender kiss. After a few moments they broke the kiss and locked eyes with each other. Their breathing was the only thing to be heard. "I´m glad we talked," Lorelai said while playing with the small curls at Luke´s neck.

"Me too."

They kissed again but now more passionate and eager. Lorelai tossed Luke´s blue hat away and started to open his belt. Luke grabbed her hand to stop her.

"You sure we want to do…have….I mean…now? Isn´t it a bit early." Luke stammered.

"Yeah. You´re right. We should go slow this time. We´ve all the time on our hands. But I want you to stay." Lorelai smiled.

"There´s nothing to be said against it." With this they stood up, never letting go of their hands and walked upstairs, closing the bedroom door behind them, leaving all the past, bad things behind them.

* * *

**Tada! That was Chapter °2.**

**Please tell me if it was good, bad or if you are Kirk and you can´t decide give me a job application as assitant writer.**

**Enjoy your week and I promise you´ll get Chapter °3 earlier because it´s already done!**


	3. Love boat

**I am so sorry. I know I´m so late. ("I hope I´m not pregnant" - sorry couldn´t help it).**

**But here it is the third chapter. Pretty short but better than nothing,ay?**

**Thanks for all your nice reviews, I love ya so much!**

**And a big applause for Katie, my help,my muse ;).**

**So enough with my babbling, let the show begin**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Love boat**

"Luke?" Lorelai called from the bedroom.

"Yea?" Luke answered while fixing some sandwiches in the kitchen.

"Should I pack my black bikini or the cute pink one?"

"Whichever one you like best." He didn´t pay too much attention to Lorelai´s constant questions about packing anymore, since they've constantly been coming since she started packing for their boat trip.

"I like them both," Lorelai said in a duh tone.

"Well, then the black one." Luke put the sandwiches into a plastic box and got the muffins out of the oven.

"But why not the pink one?" Lorelai looked at both bikinis with a frown.

"Because you asked me to choose and I did choose." Luke was moving around the kitchen busy packing and putting food into boxes.

"But why did you particularly choose the black bikini and not the pink one?"

Luke sighed heavily, shook his head and muttered, "Crazy woman."

"What did you say?"

"I like you better in black, but if you like the pink bikini better than choose that. I really don´t care."

"So you think the black one´s hot, huh?" Lorelai smiled. "You know what, I´ll pack them both," she finally decided, which earned a deep sigh and eye roll from Luke.

"You going to be ready sometime today?" He asked while he climbed the stairs to the bedroom.

"Almost done," Lorelai answered proudly standing in front of her very full suitcase.

"Jeez, you wanna emigrate?"

"Well, maybe I should ship over to Europe and find a nice Italian man. What do you think?" Lorelai smiled at him and put her arms around his mid-section.

"I think it´s a great idea. Finally some silence in this town." Luke chuckled.

"Hey!" Lorelai smacked his chest playfully.

"Don´t worry I won´t let you go over there….alone." He kissed her softly.

"Aw Luke, you old softie." Lorelai gave him a short peck and turned her attention to her suitcase moments later.

"I need some towels," Lorelai stated and ran off to get some.

Taking another glance at her suitcase, Luke shook his head and said, "What? Your suitcase looks like a giant iceberg and you haven´t even packed towels?"

"Well, it may have slipped my mind," Lorelai said when she returned to the bedroom. "Okay. Now, we just have to close it and that´s it."

"I wanna see you trying to close it." Luke had a devilish smile on his face.

"Ah, no problem mister. It took years of practice to develop the famous Gilmore closing-a-suitcase-method," Lorelai babbled as she fought with the zipper. "And now my friend it´s …finally…completed…help, please?!" Lorelai pouted.

Luke laughed but came to her rescue. "I think you need to leave some things here," he pointed out.

"Oh no! It´s all needed," Lorelai yammered.

Luke opened the lid again and took a look at everything she packed. "Why would you need 10 pairs of shoes on a boat trip?" he asked, incredulously.

"Because I wanna have a pair for every occasion we might have to face." Lorelai reasoned.

"Leave four," Luke said determined.

"No, I can´t leave four. The four I choose will feel neglected and then they´ll be mad at me and I won't be able to wear them anymore and-"

"Leave four," Luke said and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"You´re no fun!" Lorelai mumbled but put four pairs out of the suitcase, which they were now able to get closed…with great effort.

"Okay. Let´s go!" Luke grabbed her suitcase and carried it downstairs.

"Your bag is small, Luke. Tiny," Lorelai said as she saw Luke´s luggage.

"It´s all I need."

"You say that now but don´t think you can borrow some clothes from me." She challenged with a high teeny-like voice.

"Bummer. That was actually my plan," Luke deadpanned as he got the boxes with food from the kitchen.

"I need coffee before we go," Lorelai blurted out, a little panicked since Luke was almost outside.

Luke handed her a thermo cup and raised an eyebrow. "Enjoy your death."

"God, you´re so sexy when you say that." Lorelai laughed as she took her suitcase with a growl. "Why did you let me pack so much stuff. It´s heavier than Pavarotti."

"It´s gonna be a great two weeks." Luke said annoyed but with a smile on his face and he closed the door of the Crap Shack.

* * *

Twenty minutes later they arrived at the marina. Luke took most of the luggage and Lorelai was in charge of the food transport because Luke knew for sure that she wouldn´t drop that particular box.

"This one?" Lorelai pointed to the boat to her right.

"No."

"That one?" Now she pointed to her left.

"No."

"Uh, the fishing cutter over there?"

"Lorelai," Luke grumped.

"What? I just wanna know."

"You´ll see it in a few seconds. Patience is a virtue you know?"

"I'm unfamiliar with that concept." Lorelai loved teasing Luke. Almost more than the coffee he makes.

"Here we are," Luke finally announced as they stood in front of a big, white boat, a little yacht actually.

Lorelai´s chin literally dropped as she saw the _Lorelai_.

"Wow. Luke, it´s big…a-and…white...and big"

Luke chuckled. "That describes it pretty much."

"And you named it after me." Now she was starting to gush.

"Why do you think it is named after you?" Luke smirked.

Lorelai couldn't help but smile like an idiot. "Thank you."

"You´re welcome. Accept it as a little _Welcome back_ gift." Luke winked at her. She always loved when he did that because it was something, besides some other intimate things, he did only for her.

Luke trod the boat and put all the luggage away. Then he reached for the food box and Lorelai´s hand.

"Why thank you, kind sir." Lorelai said and admired the boat with its details. They stood on a small platform in front of a big cabin. The dark brown wooden wheel was covered by a transparent roof and in front of the wheel was enough space to lie down and take a sunbath.

"Luke, you said you bought a boat but this is clearly a yacht, it must have cost a fortune."

"Well it wasn´t exactly a Play Mobil thing, so yeah." Luke smiled. "But wait till you see the cabin." He took her by the hand and led her into it. Lorelai was greeted by a little living room with a small couch, enough for two people, a TV with a DVD player and VCR and a large table. There were also a small bookshelf in the left corner and a mini-bar.

Added to the room was a kitchenette. It was small, but big enough to cook a decent dinner. The floor consisted of dark wooden laminate which suited the furniture in white and brown.

"It´s lovely. Very comfy and luxurious," Lorelai said as she stroked her thumb over his hand.

"It´s not much," Luke dismissed.

"It´s a lot. We sleep on the couch?" she wondered

"No. The tour´s not over yet." Luke lead her deeper into the room and opened a door. Behind the door was a king-size bed, adopted to the shape of the boat/yacht.

"Ah, a big bed." Lorelai nudged him and raised an eyebrow playfully.

"Are you having second thoughts?" Luke flirted back.

"Never." She smiled. In the four weeks they had been on track again they hadn´t slept together yet. It was a somewhat unspoken agreement that they want to wait until the perfect moment was there. Lorelai had a feeling that that moment was right around the corner…

She looked around the room. "What´s behind that door?" She was pointing to a small sliding door in the wall next to the entrance.

"That´s our small but sufficient bathroom." Luke slid the door open and revealed a small room with a toilet, basin and even a shower.

"You´ve got everything." Lorelai stated to which Luke nodded.

"So we wanna hit the sea?"

Lorelai clapped her hands in excitement. "Can I steer?"

"Sure," Luke said and Lorelai jumped in excitement. "When we've left the marina and everything else that could be damaged." He smirked and left the cabin.

"What a way to upset your girlfriend and to minimize the chances of getting lucky later." Lorelai yelled back at him playfully.

"I'll take the risk," came the muffled response from the deck.

Lorelai followed Luke and hugged him from behind. "Heyho captain." She snuggled closer into him. "You got nice muscles, must be from hoisting the sails, ay?"

"Ay," Luke played along, enjoying the comfortable togetherness.

Slowly they left the marina behind and they sailed out on the sea. It was a lukewarm day and a soft wind blew through their hair. Not a lot words were spoken, there have been enough the weeks before. It was more like an unspoken agreement that they enjoyed the first day on sea like a lonely sailor – starring at the water, listening to the sounds of nature and his own breath. Peace, a word that perfectly described the situation on the boat for the first hours. Peace and quiet.

* * *

It was already 9 pm as they were on the open sea and Luke turned off the engine. "You wanna eat?" Luke asked Lorelai, who was lying on the deck, wrapped in a light woolen blanket.

"God yes, I´m starving!" Lorelai exclaimed as she struggled to get out of the blanket.

"That's shocking," Luke stated dryly.

"Well the Lorelai without food is a monster. Frankenstein and such. You better keep me fed or I can´t guarantee anything," Lorelai said trying to be mysterious.

"Now I´m tempted, I´ll think about it. Sit outside or in the cabin?"

"Definitely outside. It´s very comfortable here."

Luke took the food box and balanced with it to the deck.

"Okay. I have sandwiches, egg or bacon, salad – for me. Muffins, chocolate and cinnamon. Boysenberry pie, filled tomatoes, chicken wraps, tea for me and coffee for you." Luke took a breath and smiled. "But that´s just for today. The next days we´re eating out or I´m cooking dinner."

"I love your selection, Thomas Keller. Bacon sandwich, please." Luke handed her the food and he took the salad. They leaned against the roof of the steering-wheel with their backs, the blanket over their legs, and ate contently.

"This is nice," Lorelai said after a few moments in silence.

"It´s just finger food."

"That´s nice too. But I mean this." She motioned between them. "Here with you on the boat."

Luke smiled and nodded. "It´s very nice." They leaned in to share a gentle kiss.

"_The_ _Love boat_" Lorelai started to sing and Luke rolled his eyes.

"Eat your sandwich."

"I'm done, see?" He rolled his eyes at her. "You´re bossy today. We´ve been apart for too long," Lorelai joked.

"Hey, you´ve heard something from Rory?" Luke asked, changing the topic.

Lorelai looked down for a second but tried to keep her happy face and encouraged a smile.

"Yea. She says she´s fine and everyone´s nice. So actually nothing new. She runs a lot, she writes a lot, she sleeps too little. Rory in all her glory."

"Glad to hear. She deserves it. Well, not the lack of sleep but the great job." Luke took Lorelai´s hand and stroked his thumb over it.

"Definitely. I´m glad I´m here with you though and not alone at home." Lorelai said truthfully.

"Yea, you´re a pretty lucky girl." Luke philandered with her.

Lorelai touched his cheek and kissed him tentatively. The kiss started to deepen as their tongues dueled and Lorelai almost sat on top of Luke. But before it got to intense, Luke pulled back.

"Not yet." He kissed her nose and turned his head towards the water. Just as Lorelai was about to complain, he laid his arm around her waist.

"Watch the sunset." Luke said in a hoarse whisper. Goosebumps were forming on her neck and arms at the sound of his raspy voice in her ear.

"I knew you are a romantic guy deep inside." Lorelai flashed him a brilliant smile and then snuggled closer to Luke, her head leaned against his chest. Luke kissed the top of her head and inhaled her typical scent - Vanilla with a hint of apple. _Even her shampoo is related to food,_ Luke thought and smiled.

Slowly the sun started to disappear into the sea. A light red light reflected on their faces and they both enjoyed the moment in complete silence. They were surrounded by a soft wind and gentle sounds of water stroking against the boat and their own flat breaths.

For Lorelai it was a picture-book perfect moment and she felt light and very, very happy. If she had known what happened next, she would have delayed that description a tad.

"Lorelai," Luke started, in that husky voice that send shivers through her body.

"Yeah?"

"I´m happy."

"You´ve no idea." Lorelai closed her eyes for a second.

"I´m not a man of many words."

Lorelai´s eyes opened again. She did not bargain for that turn but she composed herself quickly. "I know. That´s half the charm," she said softly.

"But I want you to know that I´m trying real hard this time. To make it work."

"Me too."

Luke started to move a little. He was nervous and not the biggest fan of talking, especially about his feelings and thoughts. He´s been that way for all his life and it was hard to shake that off. "I don´t want to rush anything. I don´t want to push you. But I just wanted to say that I want to marry you someday, I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Lorelai turned her head to Luke and sat on her knees. Her eyes already started to tear up.

Luke cleared his throat. "You feel the same way?" Luke asked and he swallowed hard, his hand started to shake a little as he stroked Lorelai´s hand. Lorelai was visibly moved to tears and she leaned in to kiss Luke softly on his lips. She nodded vigorously, and whispered an "Absolutely," against his lips.

Luke was relieved. He smiled like an idiot. "I´m really glad you feel that way. But as I said, no rushing anything. We´ve got plenty of time."

She knew her divorce wasn´t even final yet, she knew she couldn´t jump…again, but she knew she loved Luke and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Furthermore she wanted to show Luke how she feels and how certain she was. She had hurt him, he had hurt her but in the end they both knew they´re meant to be together. A life without the other is impossible, unbearable, simply not worth living. They were finally on the same page, they´re both trying to make it work, to achieve what they always wanted. Marriage, family, future.

"Thank you, Luke." They kissed. "My old softie." They chuckled but returned to kissing. Soon it got heated and passionate.

"Now?" Lorelai asked almost pleading.

"You bet." Luke answered and they stood up quickly and headed to the cabin –where they were awaited by champagne and a king-size bed.

* * *

**I hope you liked it. Any suggestions?Criticism?Praise? ;)**


	4. At last

**As promised the update!**

**I hope you like it as much as I do because was really in a cheesy mood and had to write it like that.**

**Huge thanks to _Audrey_. You're a great beta!**

**Enjoy

* * *

Chapter 4: At last**

Lorelai and Luke spent the next four weeks mostly on the water. During that time they developed a good rhythm with boating, strolling, sleeping and talking. Sometimes they docked at land and spent the afternoons and evenings shopping, sightseeing and eating. Luke and Lorelai enjoyed the trip; some vacation was desperately needed on both sides after everything that had happened. They discussed those events occasionally and often it concluded with yelling and fighting. But in the end they made up and would spend the night cuddled together, saying that past is past and they should look ahead to their future. It was an agreement of sorts between the two; they needed to leave behind what had once broken their hearts in order to avoid history repeating itself in the future.

The next day Lorelai and Luke planned on returning to Stars Hollow. Their vacation would be over and then normal life would take its toll again. Lorelai hoped that she and Luke could continue with what they started with the boat trip; the re-found love that felt like the first time only more mature of itself; butterflies in their stomachs, smiles constantly apparent on their faces but without worries or insecurities.

They would return to their daily visits in the diner, the teasing and bantering, the togetherness, and the lovemaking. All these thoughts gave Lorelai a warm, fuzzy feeling. She was happy, really happy and the firm conviction that the third time was the charm would made her think about the future; Luke would finally move in, they would get married, they would have a kid or two. That was for sure. She nodded her head at her thoughts.

_Let's enjoy your last official boat-trip-date, Gilmore._

"Are you talking in your head again?" Luke asked clearly amused.

Lorelai hadn't noticed that she zoned out for a few moments and gave an embarrassed smile. "Sorry."

"No problem, I like talking to myself about the food and the music." He smirked.

"The food is great, and so is the music. You really did a great job finding this restaurant." Lorelai smiled at him and stroked his hand over the table.

"I saw it in a guide, I thought you'd like it, so I made a reservation, it's no big deal." Luke shrugged.

"Aww, always Mr. Modest. You're so sweet when you're like that, but you should really learn to appreciate compliments my friend. It really is a great place." Lorelai looked around the room stating her praise.

They were at a place called "Salida del sol", a little Spanish restaurant that wasn´t fancy enough to warrant wearing a tie, but also not casual enough to wear jeans. It had ambiance. The red walls were decorated with old silver candlesticks and rustic drawings. Large windows let the moon shine through and there was a small balcony with heaters and small cocktail tables bordered the large room. In a corner was a small dance floor, where couples swayed to slow songs coming out of a juke-box.

Yep, it definitely was a great place.

"So, did you like your lobster?" Luke asked, startling Lorelai out of her thoughts again.

"It was delicious. Almost better than the one we had at _Barnacle Billy's_ and that´s a high compliment Larry." Lorelai responded, holding the lobster´s head in front of her face.

"Stop naming objects and food." Luke rolled his eyes.

"I know Larry, it´s a shame that he lost the little boy in him. You should see him complaining when I name his _not so little_ little Luke."

"Lorelai!" Luke hissed as his cheeks turned bright red and Lorelai laughed. "You're impossible."

"And _you_ love it." She still smirked and as the waiter arrived with their dessert, she clapped her hands. "Oh tiramisu, I love tiramisu."

"Yeah, you love what'll kill you." Luke snorted.

"So then I guess you'll be my death. What a way to go." She sighed with a smile and both exchanged a loving gaze at her comment.

The dessert was eaten in silence, both listening to the music as well as the talking and laughing of the other guests. It was a romantic dinner, a great ending to the trip, Lorelai thought. She loved it when Luke played the Prince Charming card; taking her out to a candle-lit restaurant, letting her choose whatever she wanted to drink and eat, even if it was disgusting to him, just to see her happy. He was the perfect man and she knew she was very fortunate to have him in her life.

After a few minutes passed, Luke cleared his throat to get Lorelai´s attention. "I must be very boring tonight. You seem to be zoning out like every five minutes."

"Well what can I say, with such a handsome man in front of me, how can I _not _fantasize about certain things." Luke rolled his eyes again. Sometimes he wondered why they weren't stuck in the back of his head considering how often he repeated the action.

"I should be mad at you for being so focused because that means I´m not attractive enough for dirty thoughts." Lorelai smirked.

"You have an excuse for everything." Luke chuckled.

"Stop pretending you're annoyed with me because I know you are not, Lucas."

Luke grumbled. "I was just going to ask you to dance but since you called me_ Lucas_, I take back the offer."

Lorelai gasped. "No dance?"

"No dance."

She put on her best pout and puppy eyes. "Please?"

Luke knew he couldn't say 'no' to her but he kept her on tenterhooks for a few seconds nevertheless.

"Come on, I know you want to, too. Pleeeeease."

Luke finally caved and smiled at her. "Jeez, you can be whiny sometimes." He sighed, "You wanna dance?"

"Yes, please." Lorelai jumped up and took his hand, leading him to the dance floor.

"Wait here a minute. Don´t move." He told her as he went to the jukebox.

"You better hurry. I'm too lazy to stand alone."

"Oh my god, the work." Luke mumbled under his breath and suppressed an eye-roll.

Two seconds later he was at her side again, putting his arms around her waist. Lorelai laid her arms around his neck and inhaled his scent.

"See, that´s much better."

She was about to drift off again as the song started to play.

_Now that I've worn out, I've worn out the world  
I'm on my knees in fascination  
Looking through the night  
And the moons never seen me before  
But I'm reflecting light_

Lorelai gasped in amazement as she recognized the song.

"You remembered?" She asked in amazement with a soft voice.

"Of course I did, it was a memorable night." Luke smiled at the memory and Lorelai snuggled closer to him.

"It was."

_I wrote the pain down  
Got off and looked up  
Looked into your eyes  
The lost open windows  
All around  
My dark heart lit up the skies_

"I love that song." Lorelai sighed in contentment. "I´m glad you asked me to go to your sister´s wedding with you, took you long enough after all."

"Hey, you weren't too eager yourself, there."

"That's because I'm the girl and you're the boy. Boys do the asking-out. It's the unwritten law in the book of acceptable social standards, at least by Emily Gilmore standards."

Luke laughed. "I almost did a few years back."

Lorelai´s head shot up. "Really?"

"Yeah, the night when you went on a date with Jackson, Sookie and that weird little guy."

Lorelai furrowed her brows but realization hit her a few seconds later. "Oh, right, with that Rune guy, he's Jackson's cousin. You and I were playing cards to give Sookie and Jackson a little privacy after Rune got bored and stormed off." Luke nodded and put a strand of hair behind Lorelai´s ear. "But then Mrs. Kim interrupted us, wild-eyed looking for Lane."

Again a nod from Luke. "Oh, I so hate her now."

Luke chuckled and kissed gently. "Yeah, I did then too. But as you got engaged to that Max guy I started to think maybe we weren't meant to be … together, I mean. We were just friends and that's all I could ever get. It was hard, especially when my heart told me I was a big moron to stop trying to ask you out. I resigned if you want to think of it that way."

"Aww Luke, that's so sweet and somewhat cowardly." Lorelai laughed and put her head on his shoulder again.

"At least I wasn´t dating a kid; now that was _pathetic_."

Lorelai slapped him in the chest. "Hey! I wasn´t dating him and he looked older when I met him at business school. At least I didn´t date Taylor´s _lawyer_." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Wow that was real mature."

"Shut up." They both giggled and listened to the song again.

_Now that I've worn out, I've worn out the world  
I'm on my knees in fascination  
Looking through the night  
And the moons never seen me before  
But I'm reflecting light_

The song ended and Luke started to walk away, but without letting go of Lorelai´s hand.

"Where are you going? I want another dance with you." Lorelai whined. "Please?" She said but Luke kept walking. He walked through the room, past their table and onto the balcony.

"Wow it's beautiful out here."

"Yeah it is." Luke closed the space between them and kissed her long. "Very nice."

"You can see the stars and the moon; it looks like the heavens just burst open and scattered twinkle lights in the sky just for us. Just for tonight. You don't see a sky like this in Star's Hollow very often."

Luke nodded in agreement.

Lorelai walked to the balustrade and Luke followed her, putting his arms around her waist from behind.

"I really enjoyed our trip." Lorelai whispered, feeling that loud speaking would destroy the peace of their surroundings.

"Me too. I´m glad we decided to go together." Luke said as quiet as Lorelai.

"Timing was never our greatest strength but we sure did plan that reconciliation of ours pretty good." They laughed.

"We wasted a lot of time though," Luke's voice was deep and hoarse, "And that's why I think we shouldn´t waste anymore of it." He held his hand in front of her and Lorelai gasped.

"I think we´re ready to take the next step. We've known each other for 10 years now and I don´t think we need anymore time to think it over or to make pro and con lists. I'm sure that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, and that starts now." Lorelai listened to every word he whispered in her ear, swallowing hard.

"Lorelai, will you marry me?" He opened the velvet box he had kept in his pocket during the night and nestled inside was a white gold ring with a sparkling diamond in the middle.

Luke couldn't see her answer through the tears in her eyes and she hadn't yet said anything, so he stiffened slightly as seconds went by and she still hadn´t said anything.

"Lorelai?" He could just feel her nod against his head. She sniffed and turned in his embrace.

"Yes, Luke. I would love to marry you." A tear escaped her eyes and Luke had to swallow hard, clearly touched by the whole scenario. He took the ring out of the box with shaky hands and slid it on her left hand. Lorelai stared at it and grinned like an idiot.

"It's so beautiful."

"Ok, I'd really like to kiss you now, but you´d have to look at me instead of the ring for that to happen." Luke said, reflecting the smile of his fiancée.

"Okay but only for a minute." Lorelai answered and turned her head towards Luke. He captured her lips instantly and they both moaned as their tongues dueled with passion.

"Thank you so much." Lorelai said against his lips several moments later.

"For what?" Luke let go of her lips to look at her and take a deep breath.

"For giving me a great story to tell our kids someday."

Luke smiled. "You're welcome." He leaned in to kiss her but Lorelai turned her head.

"This beautiful rock needs attention."

"If it is such a kiss killer I might have to take it away again."

Lorelai put her right hand around her finger and gasped. "Don´t you dare. He´s my new best friend."

"Oh, so now it's a 'he' already. Come here little ring." Luke tried to grasp her hand but Lorelai captured his lips with hers.

"Finally."

They both kissed passionately for several minutes until they noticed that other guests came out onto the balcony.

"I guess we should continue this elsewhere." Luke whispered in her ear with a seductive glint in his eyes.

"Dirty. At last. " Lorelai smirked and grabbed his hand.

Together they left the restaurant, Luke throwing money on their table to cover the check, and they made their way to the boat.

They celebrated their engagement, the end of the trip, their future together and something special they didn´t know about … yet.

* * *

**Thanks for reading and please,please review!**


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